Selecting and Planting Bare Root Fruit Trees
– Orin Martin
Tree Sources
There are four primary sources of trees: Graft or bud your own; local retail nurseries; mail order nurseries,
including small-scale and large “industrial strength”-scale nurseries; buy an orchard! Here I’ll address the retail
and mail order options.
Unless you are buying fruit trees in quantity or looking for either rare heirloom varieties or unusual scion/
rootstock combinations, buying retail has some advantages over mail order. Retail shopping allows you to inspect
and accept or reject individual trees (see below for Selecting Quality Trees). Quite often, retail prices are on a par
with or even cheaper than mail order costs. This is especially true if purchasing either a few trees or one or a few
trees within a variety/rootstock combination.
Mail order tree nurseries fall into two large categories: Large-scale conventional nurseries, e.g., Vanwell, C &
O, Columbia Basin, Dave Wilson; and small-/medium-scale nurseries, some—lamentably only a few—organic,
some conventional, e.g., Raintree Nursery, Trees of Antiquity (organic), Sandy Bar Nursery (organic).
The large-scale nurseries offer several “perks” –
• Economies of scale, with hundreds of thousands of trees.
• A good range of size-controlling rootstocks for each species of fruit (apple, pear, peach, etc.) from mini
dwarf to standard or full size.
• Cheap prices meshed with superlative tree quality. These companies will usually sell the backyard
orchardist as few as 1 or 2 trees, $12–14/tree. If you buy 25 of one kind you can bring the per-tree price
down to $6–9.
On the flip side, large nurseries often carry a limited varietal selection—usually the varieties are those currently in vogue for large-scale commercial production and include very few if any heirloom varieties
In contrast, small-/medium-scale nurseries usually offer a diversity of varieties, essentially the best of the
modern production varieties and a wealth of heirlooms. However, they usually have an extremely limited selection of rootstock types. The tree quality is variable, nursery to nursery, species to species, and year to year. The
prices usually make you say “ouch!”; with no discount for volume, expect to pay $25–35/tree.
Selecting Quality Trees
A primary tenet of success is to plant a large “quality tree” and then to grow it aggressively. A bigger tree has
greater leaf surface, thus more photosynthetic grow power, and will establish more quickly than a smaller tree.
The old adage was, plant a whip (a whip is an unbranched tree) not a branched tree, but no more —plant a big,
branched tree. It’ll get you out of the chute and down the road quicker.
When choosing a tree, things to select for include –
• A root system that is proportional to the branch system. Keep in mind that good proportions, in that regard, have the appearance of being way out of balance (in favor of branches) to the novice.
• A good number of and good length of branches (5–9 over 2’ long)
• A tall tree (4–7’)
• Good branch distribution—both vertically and horizontally. Branches with a minimum of 5–6” vertical
spacing are ideal. Such spacing achieves two aims –
• Sunlight distribution within the tree canopy, both in the early years but especially at maturity. Fruit
trees require 50–80% direct sunlight striking a branch to manufacture fruit buds and good quality
(taste and nutrition), good-sized, well-colored fruit. You can easily move or train a young branch up
to 180°.
• Branch strength and vigor. If two or more branches emanate from the same vertical point on the
trunk, one tends to be strong and one weak. The strong one is dubbed a choker branch—big pig, little
pig syndrome. Good spacing of branches, coupled with moderately wide crotch angles (point of attachment to trunk) yields mechanically strong, vigorously growing branches. The ideal branch angle
is 30–60° (above flat). Narrow angles beget overly vigorous growth at the expense of fruit and a tendency to snap and break at maturity. Conversely, flat-angled branches tend to be weak and become
serious saggers that crowd and shade branches below.
• A thick caliper trunk over 1/2—7/8”
News & Notes
Digging and Prepping the Planting Hole or
“The Almighty Hole”
The old gardening quip, “Don’t put a five dollar tree
in a fifty cent hole,” needs to be adjusted for inflation:
“Don’t put a $20 tree in a $2 hole.” Use common sense,
or activate your “horticultural sensibilities.” What is the
native soil like? Ask and answer the question, “Should I
be planting fruit trees in this ground now?” If the soil is
not fertile enough –
Get a soil test. It provides a quantifiable base line as
per what is and what isn’t in your soil, organic matter
content, macro, micro nutrients, pH, C.E.C., etc. With the
exception of nitrogen, if a nutrient is deficient you need
to add it to your soil to counteract deficiencies. There
is no alchemy in soil science; you can’t make somethin’
from nothin’. Nitrogen, of course, can be fixed via the
symbiotic (actually it’s been reclassified as a “facultative,
parasitic” relationship—sounds yucky; symbiotic has a
much more positive, poetic ring to it) relationship between certain soil bacteria (Rhizobium spp.) and nodules
(housing) formed on legume roots (bell beans, vetches,
clovers, etc.). Hey it’s free nitrogen from the earth’s atmosphere (79% Nitrogen).
Engage in a rigorous soil building program (1–3
years; but see the “multi-year hole,” page 3, for ways to
speed the process), components of which should include
but not be limited to –
• deep or double digging
• a legume, grass cover crop that is green manured
into the soil. It is possible to do this 3–5 times in
one calendar year.
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Jeff Rosendale
Caliper refers to the girth or circumference of the
trunk at or about the bud union at the base of the tree.
Trees over 1/2” up to 7/8” caliper are recommended.
The notion of saving a few dollars by planting a small
caliper tree is a mistake. Studies by Dr. Bruce Barritt of
Washington State University have shown that by the fifth
year (fifth leaf as the grower jargon goes) a 7/8” caliper
tree produces 30% more fruit than a 1/2” caliper tree and
almost 50% more fruit than a 3/8” caliper tree. While
a larger caliper tree may cost slightly more at purchase
time, the cost difference is soon recouped via early and
efficient cropping.
The law of diminishing returns kicks in with tree
caliper over 7/8”, that is, there’s nothing wrong with it, it
just doesn’t pay the dividend of more fruit sooner.
The same yardstick can be applied to the addition
of compost to your soil. More is better up to a certain
point. The “teen idol” musician John Meyer sums it up
succinctly and poetically with the lines, “Twice as much
ain’t twice as good and can’t sustain what one half could
. . .” from the song Gravity. Although he was probably
intoning about matters of the heart and not sustainable
agricultural practices, good education and learning are
really about transference after all.
Orin Martin describes the attributes of a quality bareroot tree
to a workshop audience at Sierra Azul Nursery & Gardens.
• liberal application of compost with each digging
of the soil
• the addition of mineral fertilizers to correct nutrient deficiencies, i.e. colloidal rock phosphate
for phosphorous, green sand or granite dust for
potassium, lime-calcium carbonate (CaCO3) for
calcium and to raise the pH or reduce acidity, etc.
Even with the most wretched of soils, an intractable
adobe-like clay or a sieve-like, lifeless sand, 2–3 years
of intensive soil building will catapult soil fertility and
structure forward and yield a plantable soil.
The Planting Hole–Various Approaches
It is arguable as to whether even moderately fertile
soil needs to be augmented with compost/fertilizer. If
this is the case (determined by both a lab soil test and
physical inspection and evaluation), simply digging a
hole slightly wider and deeper than the (spread) root
system (24–36” x 24–36”) should suffice. Fertilization can
be accomplished by simply top dressing with a 1–2” layer
of compost worked lightly into the surface soil; 1/2–1
pound of concentrated organic granular fertilizer (Sustane 4-6-4 or Dr. Earth 7-4-2 applied with the compost in
year 1 and year 2) will ensure meeting growth goals.
A slightly more aggressive approach would be to
supplement the fill soil, excavated from the hole, with no
more than 25–30% (by volume) compost. The fill soil and
compost should be thoroughly mixed (homogenized)
prior to refilling the hole. This approach will both improve soil structure and boost growth in years 1 and 2.
Additional top dressing is optional. Note: If native soil
has a heavy clay texture, slightly fracturing the sides
UCSC Farm & Garden
Jeff Rosendale
of the planting hole as well as the bottom of the hole is
advised.
An even more aggressive or radical “over the top”
approach to hole preparation could be entitled “prepping
the multi-year hole.” This approach is time, labor and
materials consumptive but has proved to work quite well
over the years at the Alan Chadwick Garden at UC Santa
Cruz.
This approach, which is for the impatient, salivatingto-eat-fruit-now crowd, is a way to take undeveloped soil,
plant trees today (or tomorrow depending on the soil and
your physical stamina or lack thereof) and simultaneously
start using intensive techniques (referred to in rigorous
soil building section, above) to improve soil outside the
planting hole.
The multi-year hole approach is predicated on 1 foot
per year extension of the tree roots beyond the planting hole (2’ x 3’). For every year you think it will take to
improve the native soil outside of the planting hole to
accommodate good growth, then expand the hole by one
foot. Thus if you project it will take 3 years to upgrade
the native soil, expand the width of the hole excavated
from 2’ to 5.’ It probably makes little sense to dig any hole
deeper than 3’. Most deciduous fruit trees (standard or
dwarf) have a high percentage of their effective feeding
roots in the top 1–2’ of the soil. While they have “anchor”
roots that go deeper, these roots are adept at “double digging” for themselves.
To prepare a “multi-year” hole –
• Dig a 3- or 4-year hole, literally 1 foot/year (beyond 2’x 3’).
• Excavate the poor quality subsoil; discard 40%,
and blend the remaining 60% with good garden
soil (20%), and compost (20%).
• The top soil should be a blend of 60–70% native
soil and 30–40% compost (premixed).
• Plant the tree, filling the hole with the improved
subsoil, then finishing with the improved topsoil.
• Top dress with 1-2” compost and 1/2–1 lb. concentrated granular organic fertilizer.
Immediately start intensive double digging, adding
of amendments and a cover crop-green manure program
between trees. The goal is to diminish the differential
between the improved hole soil and the unimproved native soil by the time the tree roots “arrive.” This approach
works well if you are a fruit tree zealot working on a garden scale, an endurance athlete looking for cross-training
opportunities, or are in possession of a backhoe.
It is worth noting that the “by the book,” conventional wisdom (these days) is that you should do nothing
to enrich the soil in the planting hole. As general advice
this is plausible. However I often find that in general, life
is specific. That is to say most of the studies done are on
ornamental trees planted in the southeast U.S.
With fruit trees, one of the tenets of success is to
rapidly (3–5 years) establish the height and spread of the
Orin Martin (left) and Matthew Sutton fill in the soil around a
newly planted fruit tree at a “Fruit Trees 101” workshop.
tree. With dwarfing rootstocks this is paramount. Dwarf
trees become physiologically mature at 5 years (+ or -)
and begin to fruit heavily. Fruit is an extreme nutrient sink
and will virtually curtail vegetative extension growth.
So an enriched planting hole, coupled with aggressive
annual growth goals achieves aims. The goal is to double
or even triple the canopy of the tree in each of the first 3
years. That is, to extend the leader 2-5’ and the primary
scaffold branches 2-4’ in each year. Sunshine, water and
fertilizer are your tools! It’s pedal to the metal, judiciously
of course.
Positioning and Planting the Tree
Soil Cone
A soil cone can be constructed at the bottom of the
hole to facilitate draping and spreading the roots evenly.
This is not absolutely necessary and probably not feasible
if planting more than a few trees (sure looks cool though,
both in real life and in the diagrams). Similarly, the soil
at the bottom of the hold can be fractured (12”) with a
digging fork. This improves both drainage and root penetration. These two techniques are probably requisite on
shallow soils (minimum A horizon less than 2 feet) and on
heavy clay soils in wet climates.
Planting Board
A planting board or stick (shovel, pool cue, hockey
stick, bamboo, etc.) 4–5 feet long placed across the top
of the hole indicates true level ground. This is important
because the bud union (swollen portion of the trunk at
the base) should be planted 2–4” above the true soil level.
(Bud union just above soil level is recommended for cold
winter climates.) If the bud union is buried –
• There is a propensity for the trunk to rot. This is the
weakest, most vulnerable portion of the tree.
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News & Notes
• The buried portion of the trunk above the bud union
may sprout adventitious (defined as springing from
an unexpected and unusual place) roots. The vigor
of these roots is such that they will produce a fullsize tree 20–30 feet tall.
Soaking Roots
Upon examination, if the tree roots are dry, soak them
in water for 2–6 hours, not longer.
Planting
The tree should be held with the trunk perpendicular
to the ground at the proper planting depth (referencing
the planting stick) by one person. A second person slowly
fills the hold with the excavated back fill soil (improved
or not). Initially about 1/3 of the soil should be filled in
and then the soil gently tamped in by foot. At this point
the tree should stand straight unaided. This should be
repeated twice more. At this point the depth of planting (bud union) should be rechecked and appropriately
adjusted.
Positioning the Tree
In addition to the planting depth, the bud union
should be placed with the stem scar (from trunk of
rootstock that was lopped off after the bud or graft took)
facing north to protect it from sunscald.
The hook on the trunk (just above the bud union)
should be positioned into the prevailing wind. This is
probably only critical in very windy districts. Additionally the trunk can be protected by whitewashing it with a
water-based indoor or exterior Latex paint that is diluted
50% with water. Again this is only critical in high light
level, hot interior climates. After 2–3 years the shade afforded to the trunk by the canopy should obviate the need
to repeat this whitewashing annually.
Much of the above minutiae (planting board, soaking roots, positioning the tree, etc.) falls into a category
Elliot Coleman (New England farmer, systems thinker,
farm tool fashioner) refers to as 1% solutions; or things
that don’t really matter. My take on this is “A whole lot of
doesn’t matter(s) do.”
Watering In
As always in gardening, planting is immediately followed by watering in. This is an axiom—ironclad. When
watering in fruit trees you can channel your “inner kid”
and mud it up. It’s not like a delicate trickling in around
the roots of a young Delphinium or lettuce seedling. A
thorough soaking of the entire root zone will “get the tree
off” and remove any undue air pockets.
Time of Planting
Ideally, deciduous fruit trees are planted as dormant bareroot stock at the outset of the planting season
(December–January in coastal California). Although the
window for planting extends into March, even early
April, the earlier the better. Fruit tree roots begin to grow
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(and therefore can take up water and nutrients) about 3–5
weeks before any above-ground activity is visible. Thus,
the earlier the tree is planted, the quicker it will begin to
grow and the greater the first year’s growth.
Prepping the planting hole the previous (dry season)
summer nets the advantage of easy, quick planting when
bare root trees arrive in January/February, especially if
the soil is wet as it often is endlessly in January–March.
Also, the earlier in the season that a tree is planted,
the quicker it will take root and the stronger will be the
first season’s growth. That is to say the difference between
January planting versus April planting can be as radical
as 2–3’ of growth. Keep in mind that fruit tree (temperate
zone deciduous) roots can and do start to grow at much
lower soil temperatures (low 40ºs F) than do vegetable/
flower crops (low to mid 50°s F). In essence a fruit tree’s
roots will start growing and taking up nutrients as much
as 3–5 weeks before any visible above-ground activity
(bud swell, flowering, leafing out) occurs.
Fruit tree (vegetative) growth usually shuts down
from sometime in mid–late June into July. This is largely
because the photosynthetic capability of the leaf is compromised and degraded by the physical environment—
wind, UV sunlight rays, water, insect damage, etc., thus,
the sooner the tree is planted and leafs out, the more
growth will occur before physical degradation shuts
down the tree for the year.
While trees can be obtained in containers later in the
season, there are problems associated with containergrown specimens –
• Price is often 3–5 times greater than bareroot.
• Container-grown trees offer an extremely limited
selection of varieties and rootstocks.
• Container-grown trees do not respond to the root
restriction of pots.
• It is extremely dicey to successfully transplant
during the active growing season.
Orin Martin is the Garden Manager at the Alan Chadwick
Garden at UC Santa Cruz. This article originally appeared in
the Winter 2009 issue of the News & Notes of the UCSC Farm
& Garden.